Colleges / North Central College
College · Private nonprofit · Naperville, IL · City
NCC

North Central College

Naperville, IL

Religious affiliation
Address30 N Brainard St, Naperville, IL 60540
Websitenorthcentralcollege.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate77%
6-yr median pay$52k
Net price / yr$21k
Undergrad size2,428
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $21k/yr for a shot at a $52k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 77% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1213 · ACT 25.

If you get in

2,428 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $57k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $21k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$229k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$84k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$145k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$45.7k
Room & board
$14.7k
Books & supplies
$900

How students pay for it.

Pell grants24%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans48%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention79%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr64%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$52k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$60k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out35%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
2,428
Location
Naperville, IL
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Smaller Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
NCC · North Central · Cardinals · North Central University · University of Naperville · Naperville University
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White59%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Black7%
  • International4%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Asian4%
  • Unknown3%
First-gen students27%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$77k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 58

What you can study.

Colleges / North Central College
College · Private nonprofit · Naperville, IL · City
NCC

North Central College

Naperville, IL

Religious affiliation
Address30 N Brainard St, Naperville, IL 60540
Websitenorthcentralcollege.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate77%
6-yr median pay$52k
Net price / yr$21k
Undergrad size2,428
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $21k/yr for a shot at a $52k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 77% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1213 · ACT 25.

If you get in

2,428 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $57k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $21k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$229k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$84k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$145k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$45.7k
Room & board
$14.7k
Books & supplies
$900

How students pay for it.

Pell grants24%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans48%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention79%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr64%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$52k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$60k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out35%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
2,428
Location
Naperville, IL
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Smaller Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
NCC · North Central · Cardinals · North Central University · University of Naperville · Naperville University
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White59%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Black7%
  • International4%
  • Two or more races4%
  • Asian4%
  • Unknown3%
First-gen students27%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$77k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 58

What you can study.